Spare Ed,
"re-structuring the Police Force"? Perlease, why not just ask me one on sport??? I'm chuckling at such a loaded question, for we'd be here for ever and a day on that one.
The short answer is that whether it be PCSOs, Specials, or whomever, they are simply the "el cheapo option" for the proper thing, no matter what politicians, ACPO or senior cops tell you. Imagine yourself (don't faint!) donning a uniform, being given some very rudimentary training for a few weeks, then being unleashed, say, on the streets of London with probably another PCSO, instead of a "real cop", to show you the ropes. Then, a few weeks later, your safety net's taken away and you're out there on your own. You get all the hassle, grief, and abuse an ordinary copper gets, but with none of the powers s/he has to do something about it.
However, most of "Joe Public" don't know that, all they see is a familiar-ish uniform, so you're fair game to them, you're the same as any other copper, you're just a so called figure of authority in a uniform. Fancy the job???
For many a long year, not only the Met, but all 43 Police Forces in England and Wales have been crying out for reform. And the greatest bane of any operational cop's life is - f***** paperwork!!! Also, every Force is groaning under the weight of excess amounts of senior ranks, be they Deputies, ACPO, Commanders, Chief Superintendents etc etc, whose combined wages are astronomical. Try finding out how many Superintendents and above are part of the Met alone, for example, the results and cost of them would be truly eye watering. Their combined wages alone could employ hundreds more "real" cops, for they are more like CEOs of industry.
Spare Ed, you can see where I'm going, can't you? As they say: "It ain't rocket science!"